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Saturday, April 11, 2015

Friendship as an adult

Months ago I found myself in search of 'new friends'. Not saying that the friends I have are horrible or anything but the truth of the matter is this...we need friends in our lives. It's been a fundamental truth since we were little. You make friends and all is right in the world. Well, as an adult friendship seems to change. And it's that fact right there that I feel the need to wright about what I think friendship is and why it's so freakin' hard to make friends as an adult.

So, here I am jotting down my thoughts while my kids take a nap and I intermittently shove leftover spaghetti in my mouth. Honestly, I was up most of the night being a total mope about not being able to make new friends. It's like I was having flashbacks of Jr. High and eating lunch alone in the bathroom stall. Which is so sad and so unsanitary...it's just nasty. I feel as though I've tried every option as to set up girls night out evenings with friends that, for the most part, everyone is too busy to make room for in their schedule. So, I've done my best to talk with those around me, get involved in social occasions, and I just feel out of place. Like, am I not cool enough? What's wrong with ME? It got me to thinking...why is it so hard to make friends as an adult? Now I'll admit, I don't think it has anything to do with being an adult at all. I think it has everything to do with our hook on social media. Yes, we are all connecting to each other in some way or another. We know this person who knows this person and so on. We are able to freely look into people's lives and get to know their personalities. But, because of the fact that we aren't personally talking to these people (even though we think it's totally fine to write random strangers advice and congratulatory messages) the makeup of what a friendship really is, is lost. Our minds are starting to think that when we 'follow' someone we are in return connected to them somehow. That when they respond to a comment we wrote we are, in return, buddies.

What ever happened to book club and quilting nights? Why have pot lucks been lost and visiting on ones couch become a foreign thing? I'm starting to think that friendship means 'you do something for me and I'll do something for you'. I sincerely miss the days of getting together for no reason but to talk and enjoy one anothers' company. So many of us feel so alone. Whether it be in motherhood, or a specific life altering event, and yet why do we feel that way? It's because we are reaching for strangers rather than the people near us. Who's to say the gal behind you in the grocery store is struggling with the exact same thing you are. What a perfect friendship and bond that would make. Or how about the woman at the park who has 3 more kids than you do...but don't you want to pick her brain at how she does all that she does.

Let start making friendship personal people!! Let's make time to get together, to meet new people, and to exchange PHONE NUMBERS NOT INSTAGRAM NAMES!!! Lets invite each other over for lunches or, for hells sake, to binge watch The Blacklist with someone. It's these small and simple acts that build lasting friendships. Showing someone that you care.

So...I guess all I'm saying is let's be friends. I'm really good at it...I promise!!!